Today I went along to a rehearsal for the stage show of Katie & The Mona Lisa.
It was brilliant to meet the cast and see them act out the story. Even without a set, the acting and storytelling told the tale vividly, and the songs by Robert Hainault are terrific, with exquisite harmonies…
Hannah Lucas has a tricky job, playing a child amongst all these grown ups, but she’s wonderful in the part, extraordinarily convincing. Karen Kennedy is wonderfully warm and funny as Grandma. It was actually quite touching to see them together and to remember my own sister Katie and our Grandmother who, so many years ago, took us to museums and accidentally planted a seed that would grow into not just a book series, but a stage show!
Was Grace Dunne born to play Mona Lisa? I think perhaps she was. She has the cheekbones, she lives up to her name perfectly, she sings beautifully (as do all the cast) and she does a very nice enigmatic smile.
Claire Huskisson is a glorious Goddess of Love (and a Princess!), Richard Robinson a formidable guard, and he also plays another character…with an unexpectedly beautiful talent at the end of the show!
Icelandic Harry August is dashingly charming as St. George, and has great fun as a host of other characters. My goodness the cast work hard, shifting scenery and remembering lines…
Here are some pictures from an earlier rehearsal. You can see what fun they are all having!
As for the scenery, while I admit I’m a little wistful that I just didn’t have time to fully design the sets myself. I have to also admit that Julie Godfrey has done a good job in elaborating my sketches and developing the illustrations in the book.
There are only 6 performances of this WORLD PREMIERE PRODUCTION… over four days, April 3-6th. They take place at the Ashcroft Theatre (Fairfield Halls) in Croydon. After certain performances you can meet the cast and meet me too – I’ll be there telling a story with an upside-down picture, after the show.
A PERFECT EASTER TREAT and a lovely way to introduce youngsters to the magical masterpieces!
All the info you need is on the special website, including links to the box office. I hope to see lots of you there – make sure you come and say hello!
Here’s the website: http://katieandthemonalisalive.com/
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